In the final session of Commonwealth Communities: Smart Growth Strategies for Our Emergent Future, expert speakers ranging from local municipal leaders to professional researchers discussed how to incorporate equity into zoning law. The history of zoning in the U.S. is fraught with racism and disparate impacts on communities of color and low-income communities. We have … Continued
Engaging in equitable budgeting practices is important on all levels of government, but especially at the local level, it is essential to ensure that community members are informed and empowered to participate in budgetary practices. In the next-to-last session of Commonwealth Communities: Smart Growth Strategies for Our Emergent Future, expert speakers described different tactics for promoting equity in municipal budgets. They touched on important concepts such as participatory budgeting, strategic funding opportunities, and social risk in the municipal market.
Throughout this session, speakers agreed that there needs to be a renewed focus on sustainability and resiliency in urban transportation systems in order to respond to the changing needs of riders and development as we approach a post-COVID world. In order to integrate all of these issues, there needs to be cooperation on all levels: federal, state, and local.
The towns of Barnstable and Yarmouth on Cape Cod worked with SGA’s Form-Based Codes Institute during the first-ever Massachusetts Opportunity Zones Academy to gain insight on how to take advantage of their designated Opportunity Zones to create a better sense of place within the two towns.
During the first-ever Massachusetts Opportunity Zones Academy, the City of Fitchburg brought new attention to its long-standing economic and community development initiatives, as well as its shovel-ready Opportunity Zone projects to potential developers and investors.
How can cities and towns maximize the positive impact of their Opportunity Zones? The answer is different for every community, and that’s why LOCUS and Smart Growth America are offering tailored technical assistance to six Massachusetts communities in the first-of-its-kind Massachusetts Opportunity Zones Academy.
How does a city make sure it’s ready for investment? A question weighing on many municipal minds is how to organize planning, economic development strategies, and zoning regulations to make it clear to residents, developers, and investors that this is the right place to be. Further, how does a community encourage investment without sacrificing the characteristics that make it an attractive community to its residents?
LOCUS and Smart Growth America are launching the 2019 Massachusetts Opportunity Zones Academy, a five-month technical assistance program, with the goal of building the capacity of three to five Massachusetts communities to leverage their designation as Opportunity Zones.
Over 100 developers, planners, elected officials, and community advocates gathered in Boston last week at the 2018 LOCUS New England Leadership Summit to discuss innovations in smart growth and the future of development in New England. Take a look at what attendees were talking about at #LOCUSBoston.
At the 2018 LOCUS New England Leadership Summit, the finalists and winners of three awards—Project, Developer, and Partnership of the Year—were recognized.